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Utah Jazz: Miles set to report to training camp

LEHI - If nothing else, the longest summer of C.J. Miles' life at least will be over by this time next week. The 20-year-old guard will be in training camp with the Jazz after three months in which restricted free agency more than lived up to its name.

Overshadowed by the Andrei Kirilenko controversy, Miles still hasn't officially re-signed with the Jazz. His agent and Kevin O'Connor, the Jazz's senior vice president of basketball operations, were still "grinding it out," as Miles described it Monday.

He was back in town for Deron Williams' charity golf tournament and, in the best evidence of his future, doesn't have a plane ticket to leave. Just being able to joke around with teammates was a welcome diversion after a summer of uncertainty.

"It was tough on him this summer,'' Williams said. "I know it's been a tough summer, still a tough summer on him because he's not official yet."

Miles has had a one-year qualifying offer for $945,610 on the table since the end of June. It might be the best he can do if the two sides can't reach agreement on a multiyear deal before the start of camp next week.

The Jazz can match any offer sheet Miles were to sign as a restricted free agent. That prospect scared off teams that were interested in Miles but figured he wasn't going anywhere. The Jazz also were unreceptive to trade offers for the young guard.

"You can't really see the whole picture," said Miles, who drew interest from Miami and Cleveland, in particular, "because your team always has the right to do whatever they want."

Miles rationalized things as just another part of the learning process, which he first went through in getting drafted out of high school and followed by spending much of his rookie season on the bench.

As the weeks dragged on, Miles realized it was best to put his energy into developing his game, as opposed to worrying about a contract. He worked out in New York, sometimes with Charlie Villanueva and Smush Parker, and said he might as well have slept in the gym.

"I feel like my game is better than it's ever been and my confidence is [higher] from being strong,'' Miles said. "Everything from one to 10 is better for me. I put in a lot of work."

That can't hurt to hear as the Jazz enter camp wondering who will emerge as a starter from a pool of shooting guards that includes Gordan Giricek, Ronnie Brewer, Morris Almond and Miles.

The Jazz have said this is Miles' season to chart his course as a player. What Miles wants to avoid is another year when he bounces from the starting five to the bench to out of Jerry Sloan's rotation altogether. No longer will he follow four good games with four subpar ones.

By playing consistent minutes, Miles said would be able to "learn more at a faster pace. I picked up so much in the last couple years and now it's just time for me to find where I can put it all together."

See more at www.sltrib.com